JADE GREENE

By Sarah-Lynn Brown

Issue Three

"Blond sided"

 

Luke and Jade start to date.

 

On a warm, sunny Wednesday evening Jade is having dinner with a friend. Sitting at a street cafe, she and Luke eat sandwiches and sip coffee. Everything is peaceful in this part of the city. The cars hum by and people are walking about happy like a scene out of an old movie. A truck comes by and suddenly is struck by a sports car racing through a red light. The back of the truck rips open dumping thousands of candy bars and boxes all over the road. It looks like Halloween exploded. The sports car is wedged up under the truck like a red door stop. Luke and Jade are stunned, seeing the action happen not fifty yards in front of them.

 

Jade jumps out of her seat and goes to the sports car and looks at the man inside, trapped under the steering column. She shouts to the man, asking if he is okay. A few other people join in and go to the aide of the man driving the truck. He is pulled from his cab, he had a laceration on his head, but doesn't seem too hurt. Jade takes a crowbar from an older lady and begins to rip at the fiberglass car. She smashes in the windows and climbs into the car from the rear and gets right up behind the man and looks down at his wounds. She lays next to him, talking to him, trying to keep him calm until the fire crews get there with equipment to free him from the crumples car.

 

When Jade walks away from the scene, both men have been taken to the hospital, Luke is standing silent beside the road. She has a few minor cuts from crawling into the car, but is no worse for it. Children have been picking up boxes of candy from the street. In all the chaos, he froze. She smiles at him and tells him that they should pay for the dinner and go home.

 

Jade's apartment. Luke is trying to mama Jade and cleanse her cuts for her. He comments on how well her previous injuries have healed. She allows him to nurse her. She wants to ask him why he froze in the accident, but she knows the answer. Luke is more concerned with he minor cuts and scrapes than she is. He tells her she will scar. She doesn't seem to care.

"If I get a scar, it won't matter. I'll heal, the scar is just a memory of the injury." He shoots back at her.

"If you don't keep it clean, you might get an infection."

"I'll keep it clean. I just don�t make a huge fuss of it.. But thanks for caring."

"Well somebody ought to care about you. You don't seem to care for yourself."

"I care."

"For everyone else. You are too selfless Jade."

"Didn't know one could be too selfless"

"You could have been hurt bad diving into that car, it might have exploded."

"That man might have passed out and bleed to death. The accident might have struck us and killed us instantly. I might have been still born. Stop it!"

"Next Saturday my class is going on a fieldtrip to see a small farm. Do you think you might want to go? Help custodian the kids"

"I'd love to go. I'll have to make sure I have it off."

 

The bus load of first graders bound off the bus, excited to see the country. Jade and Luke follow after them as well as another parent. The fourteen students to come, are a hyper pack of six and seven year-olds. Luke looks at Jade rolling his eyes as he has to pull a little girl off a old tractor. � Must be the fresh air� The students settle down when they see the tall man who runs the farm and his hulky hands approach from the barn. The kids stare, afraid of the stranger, until he speaks to them.

 

"Hello kids, my name is Elmer Columbus and these are my hands, Thomas Craft, Hew Bond, and Bubba McNair. My family has owned this farm for more that seventy years."

"Come on and see the animals" The farmer turns and waves his hands for the group to follow. He takes them into the barn and the kids crowd around to view a litter of piglets. One comments on the smell of the animals, the others chime in. The sow stands nearby as her piglets are handled by the farmer and children. All the adults are handed a pig and allow the children to pet it. Jade holds an especially wiggly little spotted pig while four children gather around her to pet it.

 

Later we see children walking through the fields gazing at the heard of dairy cows. The farm hands pull a cow from the pasture and demonstrate how a cow is milked. They then see the milking machines in their own high tech barn.

 

"Our farm is totally organic. And since the cattle are free range, the milk is the best quality possible. The animals are very healthy."

A child asks a question, "You animals don't get shots?"

"No, they are antibiotic free, no shots."

 

The farmer shows them the fields where they grow the organic feed for their own animals. The kids are amazed. When they go back to the bus after a full tour and discussion the kids beg to take a piglet home with them. Luke has to carry one particular child onto the bus that refused to leave, and starts crying.

 

Jade sits beside Luke wh is holding the crying six year-old boy. She thinks it is sweet, how mother like he can be with them. Most of the bus has fallen asleep. She feels a thump on the back of her head and turns, looking over the seat to see the child behind her giggling and making a face at her. She glares at him, and them crosses her eyes at him. She looks down at a bump in his jacket and realizes that the child had stolen one of the baby ducks from the incubator.

"Oh no you didn't"

"Taking the farm home. This duck won't be dinner."

"You stole it!" she whispers

"Shhhh! Don't tell."

"Give it to me."

The child hands her the little bird. Jade puts it into her pocket, it shuts up. When they get off the bus at the school the parents are waiting for the kids. Jade sneaks off with the bird in her pocket.

 

She gets home and sets the bird on the floor in her kitchen. The duckling waddles around and looks up at her. �What will I do with you? Take you back?� Jade gets onto the phone and calls the farm. She speaks to the farmer.

 

"Hi, I was just there this afternoon with a class. Well, I have one of your ducklings, one of the children stole it. I'll bring it back to you as soon as I can."

 

"Really. And you have it with you?"

"Yes, I wasn't going to let the kid keep it."

"Do you know anything about ducks?"

"They eat bugs and stuff, why?"

"Well, congrats the bird is now yours. You really don't need to drive more than an hour to bring back one duckling. Keep it, give it away. They do make good pets."

"Is it the Million Dollar Duck?.... I work, what will I do with a baby duck?"

"Feed it, keep it warm and play with it. When it gets big you can always eat it."

"Thanks"

"Bring it back if you want, but I will let you have it too. Thanks for being honest and calling me about it. Good day."

 

 

Jade looks down at the little duck, crouched down on the floor. It looks up at her and quacks. She looks in her cupboards and finds some Farina and makes up a meal. She gets online and finds out what to feed the little critter. She then has to run down to the pet super store and find some supplies to take care of the little animal. She is informed about diet and gets a bed and lamp to keep it warm.

 

That night Luke comes over to watch video's as they had planned and is meet at the door by the little duck, following behind Jade. He is surprised and smiles. "You must have really liked the farm, you ran out and got a duck." He comes in. He sits down on the couch and puts a stack of videos on coffee table.

"One of the kids stole it. I called the farmer and he told me to keep it."

"You could use a pet."

"I was thinking about a cat. Now, that would be a disaster."

"What are you calling it?"

"Duck"

"Come on, give him a name."

"Dilbert."

"Dilbert the Duck, that's cute." He grins and reaches for the little bird. It scuttles away from him.

 

 

In the break between videos Luke gets up and goes to the bathroom. The duck darts into Jade's room behind Luke and runs into her closet. Luke follows the bird and opens the closet door all the way to get the duck out. He then sees Jade's black leather pants and the Yin-Yang belt hanging on the back of the door. He steps back and walks back into the hall, meeting Jade in the doorway. She smiles and he hands her the duck.

"Where did you get a Yin-Yang belt?"

"Oh, found it at a thrift store. I thought it was funky. It goes really good with the leather pants. Great for going out"

"You club?.Cool. Be right back, I got to go use the restroom."

Jade is relieved that he accepts her explanation. She takes the duckling back into the living room and puts it back into it's box. She sets up the next video.

 

 

One evening, a few days later Luke decides to drop by Jade's apartment to say hello. He carries a stuffed duck toy under his arm. As he comes out of the stairwell he sees a woman with long dark hair and black leather pants going into Jade's apartment. She turns and he sees the makeup. He then recognizes her. He drops the stuffed animal and gasps. She sees him. Jade rushes to him and pulls him into the apartment, she hands the toy to him. He is shocked and quickly becoming angry. She sits him down and locks her door.

 

"You weren't supposed to see me."

"You were the woman in the street."

"Hold on." She grabs for a towel to wipe off the makeup. He stops her, grasping her hands.

"Why didnit you testify?";

"I was on the jury, I couldn't get out of it. And still, would you want me to expose myself?"

"I was mugged."

"I have helped a lot of people. You were one of the lucky ones, you weren't hurt. I got to you soon enough."

"Why did you do it?"

"I have to help others. Don't you understand me by now?"

He jumps up, angry at himself. "I should have figured it out. You so courageously jumped into that car to help that man, and still when I seen your outfit in the closet I accepted it when you said it was for nights out. You don't club do you?"

"Sometimes, I'm there, watching people. But most of the time I'm on the streets."

"And no one wonders about the "Crow" like outfit?"

She shrugs her shoulders. He collapses onto the couch again, pouting. "This city is so dense."